Process of treating finely divided or powdered substances of different deghtes of



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheefi 1.

. I 0. B. PECK. PROOESg 0F TREATING FIHELY DIVIDED 0R POWDEBEDSUBSTANCES 6F DIFFERENT DEGREESDF SPBGIFIG GRAVITY.

1%. 468,688. Patented Feb. 9,1892.

i I I i w, J 'Hw -2 Sheets -Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

0. B. FEGK. PROCESS are TREATING FINELY DIVI BD 0R POWDEREDSUBSTANUES OFDIFFERENT DEGREES OE snows GRAVITY.

Q mmnmdr eb. 9,1892.

Powdered Substances of Different Degrees of ORRIN B. PECK, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR SAME PLACE.

PROCESS OF TREATING FlNELY DlVlD ED OR POWDERED SUBSTANCES OF DIFFERENTGRAVITY.

ntnnrr rerun 'IlO MEIJINIdA PIE CK, (5F

DEGRhtsoF SPECiFIC SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.468,688, dated February 9, I892.

Application filed Octoberb, 1891.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ORRIN B. PECK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulProcess of Treating Finely Divided or Specific Gravity, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to treat finely divided or powderedsubstances to separate the more valuable or those of greater specificgravity from the lighterdr more werthless portions by projecting thematerial to be treated into an opposing current of water and subjectingsuch material to the action of centrifn gal force while passing throughor'in contact with such opposing current of water; and my inventionconsists in the process and mode of operation hereinafter descri ed andclaimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents .a ver tical transverse section ofthe apparatus by which I carry out or embody my process, with a part ofthe apparatus in elevation. Fig. 2 represents a vertical transversesection of the revoluble treatment-chamber, tal entl1roi1gh the line 2of Fig. 3, but with the chamber in its fully-eompleted condition; andFig. 3 is a plan view of the revoluble treatment-charm her with aportion of the top removed, showing the horizontal dividing-plate, andalso a portion of the horizontal dividingplate removed, showing aportion of the bottom of the chamber, as hereinafter explained. 7

It will be understood that in thetreatinent of finely divided orpowdered substances to separate the heavier and more valuable portionsfrom the lighter and more worthless -it is a difficult matter to eifectthe separation of the particles, although they really Hitter in degreesof specific gravity, from the fact that as such particles are extremelysmall the difference between their gravities is almost immeasurable andinappreciable, so that it is impracticable to apply or regulate the, useof Water to eifect the separation of the particles unless their specificgravities have been increased or magnified, so to speak. As is wellknowmand as I have demonstrated by experience, the specific gravity ofthe particles may be practically increasedor magni Serial No, 407,805(No model.)

tied by the action of centrifugal force sufficiently to make thedifference between the heavier and the lighter particles appreciable;and I have found by experience that the particles while being thus actedupon by centrif u gal force and thus magnified or increased as to theirspecific gravity maybe separated, the lighter from the heavier, bysubjecting them to an opposing current of waterorother fluidof'sufiicient resistance to carry away the lighter particles, but ofinsufficient resistance to arrest the heavier particles, which,augmented by centrifugal force, will pass through the opposing current,so that a separation of extremely minute particles may be effected.

To carry out this process or mode of treatment I have devised theapparatus hereinafter described. I wish to say, however, that I do notwish to confine myself to specific forms or details of construction inthe manufacture of the apparatus that I shall describe, but thag theapparatus described is merely intended as a practical and convenient wayof embodying or applying my process and that I recognize that it can beapplied in different ways so far as thedetails of the apparatus areconcerned.

In my present apparatus, A is a revoluble treatment-chamber intended tobe mounted upon a shaft B, capable of being revolved by any convenientmotive power, and to which as great a speed of revolution may beimparted as necessary to etfect the desired object. I divide thetreatment-chamber into two horizontal sections or apartments by means ofa horizontal dividing-plate C, which may be arranged and supported inplace by bolts or rivets,

This dividingplate is provided with openingsl), preferably as shown inthe drawings, or .in any other convenient way.

arranged at the outer edge of the chamber,

affording communication between the upper and lower compartments of thetreatmentchamber. These openings are preferably four in number, arrangedopposite each other, although there may be any convenient number, as theconstructor of the apparatusmay desire.v [lhe treatment-chamber iscovered by a top or cover E, that is intended to cx-- tend in as a rimor covering, inclosing the top of the treatment-chamber from the outeredges inward as far desired. In practice I'prefer to extend the coverinabout half' of the distance from the outer edge of the chamber.

to the center, as shown in Fig. 2, although this is a matter ofconstruction in which as'much latitude maybe indulged as is suitable tothe conditions under which the apparatus is intended to l 7 operatedp Iarrange a central water-receiving aperture F, extending from the bottomof the treatment-chamber up a desired distance, to receive the desiredsupply of water, which is conducted into it through a pipef from anyconvenient supply. This receiving-apertureis provided with holes oropenings f between the bottom of the treatment-chamber and thehorizontal dividing plate 0, through-which the water from the pipe f maypass. Theseholes or openings are preferably four in n umber, a rrangedto correspond with the openings 1), although there may be any desirednumber. I prefer to arrange betweenthe bottom of the treatme'nt-chamberand the dividing-plate vertical partitions G, forming passages orchannels leading from the holes f to the openings Dio conduct the waterto such openings to permit it to pass up through the dividing-plate intothe upper compaftment of the treatment chamber. Similar ver ticalpartitions ll, arranged between. the dividing-plate (land the cover E,form channels or passages from the openings I) inwardly toward thecenter of the treatment-chamber. Around the water-receiving aperture Iis arranged a material-receiving aperture 1, that extends up from thedividingplate I) a desired distance to receive the material to betreatcd which is flowed ordelivered into the same through a pipe 2',leading from any convenient source or supply. From thismaterial-rt-iceiving aperture pipes J extend out into the channels orpassages formed by the vertical partitions II and enter the same adesired distance, sothat their outer or discharge ends will be under thecover E. Leading out from the passages or channels between thevertical-partitions II are discharge pipes or spouts K, through troughor receptacle M.

which the heavier portions of the material treated are discharged by theaction of contrifugal force. These spouts discharge the material passingthrough them into an annular trough or receptacle L, while the materialbe necessary toseparatc the heavier from the lighter particles of thematerial to be treated. A stream of water isadmit ted into the centralinner edge of thecoverE. A stream of material to be treated is nowturned into the material-receiving aperture I, to be carried by theaction of centrifugal force out through the pipes J into the passages orchannels formed by the partitions II. As the material is projected orthrown by the action of centrifugal force into these channels orpassages, it comes into contact with the opposing current of waterpassing through such channels to escape over the top of the cover E; Theamount of water introduced to'form the opposing current is intended tobe su'fii'cient and to be driven at a sufficient velocity to arrest andcarry off the lighter portions of the material being treated, but not toarrest or carry off .the heavier portions, which are forced or projectedthrough the current of water by the action of centrifugal forcetQ theouter end of the passage or channel to escape through the deliveryspouts or pipes K. Of course a certain quantity of water will alsoescape through these spouts with the heavier particles of the materialbeing treated; but as they afford an exit much too small for theescapeof the entire quantity of water introduced a constant current willbe forced inward against the material being projected through the pipesJ.

I shall in this application only claim the process or mode of operation,I do not herein claim the novel features of construction of theapparatus shown and described, but make them the subject of anotherapplication filed contemporaneously with this one, Serial No. 407,806.

\Vhat I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is p 1.The process of treating and separating finely divided or powderedsubstances of different degrees of specific gravity, which conin forcingsuch substances by the action of centrifugal force against an opposingcurrent of water, substantially as described.

2. The process of treating and'separating finely divided or powderedsubstances of different degrees of specific gravity, which consists insubjecting them to the action of contrifugal force 'in contactwith anopposing currcntof water and discharging the heavier particles at apoint farther from the center of the treatment-chamber than the point at

